IDEI Ch3

Qi Yanning raised an eyebrow.

“Fine, but I also have two conditions.” Qi Yanning looked at the fierce director glaring at him, his voice soft and gentle, completely different from the content, “First, the show must immediately clarify the situation and publicly apologize to Qi Yanning. Second, fire contestant manager Li Yuan immediately.”

Li Yuan?

The director’s pupils shrank. He was sure Qi Yanning hadn’t seen the surveillance footage, so how did he know it was Li Yuan who took the photos?

He gave Qi Yanning a deep look, “Deal.”

After leaving the control room, Qi Yanning stuffed his phone, now full of gains, into his pocket and ran into Luo Heng, who had an unpleasant expression.

“Qi…” Luo Heng hadn’t even started speaking when Qi Yanning’s actions interrupted him.

Qi Yanning walked forward, raising his hand to smooth out the upturned collar of Luo Heng’s jacket. His actions sent goosebumps all over Luo Heng’s body.

“What, what are you doing?” Luo Heng asked weakly.

Qi Yanning completely ignored Luo Heng’s tense, stiff body, straightening his collar before gently patting his cheek with a smile that seemed full of affection.

Damn affection!

“Do well and cherish this time. Goodbye.”

Qi Yanning patted Luo Heng on the shoulder, just like how he used to deal with the little eunuchs under him when they made mistakes.

He walked past him, striding away.

It was already early morning. The trainees and staff who had completed their stage rehearsals were exhausted and went back to sleep. In the vast darkness, only he remained.

He passed by the field, standing on the track, gazing at the stars in the sky. It was a clear day today, but there weren’t many stars.

Back in the Yong Dynasty, he loved looking up at the night sky from within the high palace walls, where he could see the vast Milky Way. It was so grand and free, unlike him, who would spend his whole life trapped in the small palace.

Now, the stars were sparse, no longer grand, and he no longer needed the Milky Way.

Qi Yanning stopped looking at the unimpressive starry sky and walked back to the dormitory.

His steps grew lighter and lighter.

The next day, Qi Yanning slept until nine. When he woke up, the dorm was already empty, with only a cold breakfast left on the table. On top of it was a sticky note with a smiley face drawn on it, left by Pei Huan.

After washing up, Qi Yanning first looked at the surveillance video he received last night. The video clearly recorded the original body’s entrance and exit from the director’s room, which took only two minutes. Another angle of the footage even clearly captured the person leaning against the corner, secretly taking pictures of him.

It was that contestant manager Li Yuan, who had ties to the investors and was a fan of Luo Heng.

Qi Yanning raised an eyebrow. The director was overly worried that he would release the surveillance footage during the show’s broadcast.

Though the evidence was solid, it couldn’t directly point to the real mastermind, Luo Heng. Besides, Luo Heng was the main focus of their management company, and any unfavorable news about him online would be immediately deleted.

Thus, now was not the right time to recklessly release this evidence online.

The best time to clear his name would be when he had enough strength or backing to contend with the forces behind the scenes.

Qi Yanning then flipped to the photo he had used to make a deal with the director yesterday. It was something the original body had unintentionally taken.

The original body knew his own abilities were lacking, so he was the most hardworking of them all, practicing until late at night every day. That night, on his way back to the dormitory after practice, he unintentionally saw that girl, who was a die-hard fan of Luo Heng.

His original intention was to take a picture to show Luo Heng how much his fan loved him, waiting alone until late at night.

But…

He ended up capturing the scene of the girl being intimately embraced by the director.

The original body had even planned to tell his good brother Luo Heng this news first thing the next morning, but little did he know, the person he considered a good brother had already extended his sharp claws behind his back…

Qi Yanning looked at the mirror on the table and sighed.

The original Qi Yanning was truly a kind and hardworking person, but he was schemed against and died in anger.

Don’t worry, I’ll clean up all this garbage for you.

Qi Yanning knocked on the mirror with his knuckles, raised an eyebrow, and silently mouthed the words.

＊

After frowning and finishing the cold breakfast, Qi Yanning packed his belongings. Today, he would leave this place that had caused the original body’s death.

Before leaving, he left a note for the curly-haired boy, with flamboyant handwriting: 

[You can do your makeup like this until you rank in the top five. After that, continue to have Teacher Lulu do your makeup. Contact me on Feixin if you need anything.]

After putting down the pen and pressing the note in place, he grabbed his suitcase and turned to leave.

Qi Yanning had no idea how lost and confused Pei Huan felt when he saw that he had already left, and he returned to his own apartment.

Qi Yanning looked at the small apartment and wasn’t very satisfied.

Since becoming the Chief of the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau, he hadn’t lived in such a small place for years.

But considering that the apartment was fully equipped and convenient to use, Qi Yanning tolerated it.

He tossed his luggage into the living room and went upstairs to take a shower.

After carrying that heavy suitcase, he had worked up quite a sweat and couldn’t stand the sticky feeling any longer!

For the next half-month, Qi Yanning stayed in the apartment, never going out. Even for meals, he ordered takeout. Every day, he held a tablet, getting familiar with this world.

One morning, Qi Yanning received a phone call from his sister from the orphanage.

“A-Ning, how are you?” A gentle and concerned female voice asked.

“I’m fine.” Qi Yanning’s expression shifted slightly as he paused the fashion show video that was playing and put down the pen in his hand, focusing on answering his sister’s question.

“Don’t read the online news for the next few days. The others from the orphanage and I believe you’re not that kind of person.”

“How could they say such things about you?”

His sister, Qi Yu, couldn’t suppress the anger in her voice.

“Xiaoyu-jie.” Listening to the sincere concern and anger in the voice on the other end, Qi Yanning’s expression softened, and his voice carried a relaxed smile, “I’m really fine. Their words can’t hurt me.”

It seemed that from Qi Yanning’s relaxed tone, Qi Yu could sense that his state really wasn’t as bad as she feared. She sighed in relief, and her voice lightened up with a hint of laughter.

“That’s good. If you’re okay, you should visit the orphanage director. She’s very worried about you, but she’s afraid of affecting your mood, so she didn’t dare to call you…”

Qi Yanning twirled the pen in his hand and quietly listened to Qi Yu’s rambling without the slightest hint of impatience.

“…Alright, that’s all for now. I have to get back to work.” After a brief silence, Qi Yu hesitated a bit before speaking again, “Ah Ning…”

“Are you planning to continue resting or…?”

Qi Yanning raised an eyebrow, “I’m really fine, and I’m already planning to look for a job.”

“That’s great,” Qi Yu said. “The show I’m working with is currently hiring makeup artists. I remember you studied fashion design in college and even worked as a cosplayer makeup artist for a while. Would you be interested in trying it out?”

“Of course, if you’re not interested, that’s fine too. After all, it’s not exactly your specialty. I can help you find a job at a design company instead…”

Qi Yanning interrupted with a bit of helplessness, “Alright, I’ll go.”

“Thank you, Xiaoyu-jie.”

Qi Yu’s voice lifted with excitement, “No problem. I’ll come pick you up for the interview tomorrow! Is 9 a.m. okay?”

“Sure,” Qi Yanning replied.

After hanging up the phone, he resumed watching the fashion show video, taking notes as he watched.

Glancing to the side, the stack of papers where Qi Yanning had been taking notes over the past few days was already a finger thick.

The next morning at 9 a.m., Qi Yanning went downstairs and saw Qi Yu leaning against the car door. “Have you had breakfast?”

Qi Yanning nodded.

Qi Yu opened the car door for him, “The people interviewing you today are the show’s director and investors. They’re taking it very seriously.”

After speaking, she feared Qi Yanning might feel too pressured and quickly added, “But even if you don’t get the makeup artist position, I can still get you an assistant role. You don’t have much experience, so it might be good to learn from the others.”

Qi Yanning remained indifferent.

“Let’s go, then. Time to head out,” he said calmly.

——

At the Yourstar production team, the director and investor were sitting in a makeup room.

The director looked somewhat distressed.

Their show had a significant investment, and they had promoted it as producing the most top-tier idols.

Live singing, all-camera stage performances—this kind of marketing gimmick had attracted a lot of fans seeking strong performers even before the show aired. Even casual viewers took note of the show, planning to watch it when it started.

The director had been full of ambition at the time, but he hadn’t expected that the show’s reputation would completely crash after the first episode aired.

Sure, the audience liked strong performers, but they didn’t want unattractive people in their talent shows!

In the early stages of recruiting trainees, Yourstar had screened out a large number of weak “pretty faces,” leaving only strong performers. Inevitably, many of these people weren’t very good-looking.

To make matters worse, the makeup artist and aesthetic consultant the production team hired had not only faked their resume but also turned out to be a saboteur sent by a rival show. This person’s aesthetic choices had only made the already struggling visuals of the show worse.

The first episode opened with the theme song performance. The makeup artist had chosen a preppy style with suits and trousers, which didn’t seem problematic at first glance—

But once the outfits were on, the ill-fitting suits clung awkwardly to the trainees, making them look like they were at some kind of sales team-building event.

Combined with the disastrous makeup, no matter how luxurious the stage setup was, it couldn’t stop the ridicule that flooded the internet.

【myeyyyyyyyes!】

【WTF, is this some kind of insurance company annual meeting?】

【Sorry, I just realized I’m not attracted to talent—I’m just a sucker for good looks.】

【Does the production team even know that no matter how sturdy a trash can is, it’s still a trash can? And the audience prefers flower vases!!】

【Yourstar? More like Comedystar.】

【Hilarious. I clicked on the music video and got three minutes of joy.】

…

These kinds of comments hit the director like a lightning bolt. He quickly fired the original makeup artist, but then he realized that the entire makeup team had been brought in by that fraud. With their dismissal, only a few junior assistants were left.

These makeup assistants couldn’t handle the job, and with the first live performance stage approaching, the director still hadn’t found a suitable makeup artist. His anxiety had reached a boiling point, even causing mouth ulcers from the stress.

“Mr. Ling, aren’t you worried at all?” The director, with a bitter expression, asked the investor sitting beside him.

The investor had previously only contributed money without getting involved, something the director had been very satisfied with. But after realizing his huge mistake, the director had quickly invited this sharp-eyed investor back to the show to take charge.

Mr. Ling, whose full name was Ling Cangzhou, sat there calmly.

He wasn’t too concerned. The show’s situation could easily be reversed with the right makeup team.

And failing to find a suitable makeup artist? For Ling Cangzhou, the president of Chenxing Entertainment, that was not a problem.

If it weren’t for the director’s personal agenda, trying to avoid getting too deeply involved with Chenxing, he would’ve already sent over his company’s makeup artists.

A knock on the door interrupted them.

“Come in!” The director instantly straightened up, eyes full of hope.

Under Qi Yu’s guidance, Qi Yanning walked into the makeup room.

While Qi Yu went to communicate with the director, Qi Yanning exchanged a glance with Ling Cangzhou.

Ling Cangzhou slightly straightened his posture as he looked at the person in front of him.

Qi Yanning was dressed in all black—a fitted short-sleeved turtleneck that highlighted his figure, paired with loose, flowing trousers. His black hair was casually tied into a small bun at the back with a hairpin, and his sharp eyebrows and eyes were partially visible through his fine bangs.

His phoenix-shaped eyes slanted upward, accompanied by a high nose bridge and thin lips, giving him a highly aggressive appearance. However, the red rose earring in his right ear subtly softened this aggressiveness, leaving behind a striking, impactful beauty.

Qi Yanning curled his lips into a smile and nodded at him.

Ling Cangzhou returned the smile and politely shifted his gaze away.

“Qi Yanning, right? Welcome to the interview,” the director spoke up. “I need to assess your skills.”

“How about this, I’ll have someone bring a trainee.”

He then looked at Ling Cangzhou, “Mr. Ling, what do you think?”

“Mr. Ling?”

Ling Cangzhou suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, lightly coughing to cover his embarrassment.

“The trainees are all in training, so… how about I be the model?”

Qi Yanning raised an eyebrow in surprise, his slanted phoenix eyes locking onto Ling Cangzhou.

“Qi Yanning, right? How about I be the model? Is that okay?” Ling Cangzhou met his gaze, seemingly composed.

However, Qi Yanning noticed that the tips of his ears hidden under his black hair had already turned red.

He glanced at the investor’s tightly clasped hands and suddenly raised an eyebrow with a smile.

“Of course.”